In the dark of the night under Luna's mostly full moon, he laid on his back with his forelegs crossed beneath the back of his head, his long and unkempt mane spread out over them and into moist grass that had been made by a late night shower. He was a fairly lithe stallion that had silvery fur, a stark black mane and tail. His appearance and love of astronomy got him the nickname 'Waning Moon'. He stared up at the starry night on top of a small hill, a mound which stood up roughly in the middle of a meadow. Flowers grew all around its base and extended outwards for several yards, swaying to and fro in a gentle breeze. The air was crisp and cool, wet with the rain that had passed and despite the stars being out in full view, to Phineas; the night was young. His white and black telescope, mounted on its tripod pointed its lens completely vertical, unused and untrained on anything. That was Phineas' way; to spend little time actually observing the heavens and a vast majority of it simply admiring it from the humble Earth.
And so, it was upon that hill of his that the pony spent hours simply taking in the beauty of the night with his mind grasping at the wonderful machinations that he concocted. In the distance, partly hidden by the trees of the Everfree Forest was the bustling hub of Ponyville. What was once a humble town in the past had ballooned into a city of its own right. The glow from its tall buildings of illustrious blues and stunning whites was visible for miles. The constant nightlife was the bane of Phineas' interest, prompting him to find a new place to reconnect with the heavens above.
"Some day soon, I'm going up there. Some day soon, I'll see the true depths of Luna's night."
That was Phineas' first step towards becoming the pony he would be known as. The first step in his transformation into something amazing. Phineas Startrot, space explorer; commander of his own starship.
***
"Come on, work those legs! Put some heart into it! Keep going cadets, keep going!" the drill Sargent barked to the assembly of fifty recruits to the Equestrian Space Exploration Initiative, commonly known as the Federation.
In the massive gymnasium that was only a small part of the full training facility and living space, the recruits did grueling exercises. This was not your average fitness club, but a military grade regiment that only evaded the label of boot camp because it lacked the muddy pit with the barbed wire to crawl under.
"Keep it up cadets, you're doing me, your families and Celestia herself proud!"
That was another thing separating this from boot camp. The drill Sargent wasn't out to break down their flock of fledgling space travelers.
Phineas was in this program for a few months and already he was many times the pony he was when he first entered. His lithe body was respectably muscled now. He currently ran laps around the stadium of a gym with a speed and stamina he never dreamed of. The reddened track his hooves beat on was being trampled by ten others but he was far ahead of the pack, and he was loving it. The program brought out a competitive side of the silver stallion, one that reeled if he were anything but the best of the best.
Something that came about during his orientation.
"Cadets, you are many now. But over the course of this endeavor it is a sad fact that many of you will not make it to the end. Be the challenges to difficult to surmount or the true strain of what you are attempting to do will break you down, it is very likely that out of the two-hundred ponies that stand before me today, only a fraction of you will persist, and only a fraction of that will reach the true end: what lies beyond the stars," said Commander Astartex, a lavender unicorn in a black and blue uniform. Her horn poked through her brimless hat, just beneath the insignia of the Federation: Celestia's sun and Luna's moon enclosed in a red ring. It was a symbol of great significance to pony kind and their fellow sentient creatures alike.
Out of two-hundred, only fifty remained. Out of that fifty, Phineas intended to be number one, the guaranteed spot not only for acceptance into the Starfleet Federation, but for position of Elite Star Commander. First class. Just thinking about it made him run just a little faster with anticipation, his blood heating up underneath the light white uniform he wore. White and black, like his old telescope. Form fitting, light; despite it being a full body ensemble it did not impair the silver earth pony's athletic performance. His mane and tail flowed out behind him like the exhaust of a rocket, fittingly enough.
Phineas passed the checkered marker that spanned across the track with the Sargent yelling "Aaaaaand that's the end of the final lap! Walk it off Startrot!"
Walk it off meant jogging for Phineas as he was too wired to slow down that much. He tried his best to keep a smirk from crawling onto his face, went out of his way to keep from his fellow trainees; lest he explode into boasting and gloating and becoming drunk off of his soaring pride. He was the best. He was sure of it. He had the best records on the gym and inside the university. He spent hours a night studying ship maneuvers and upkeep, how to keep weapons at maximum capacity and of course, what would a starship captain be without in depth knowledge on how to calibrate various subsystems. Written exams were a piece of cake. No, not even that. A piece of a cupcake for this amazing example of self application...
***
"Engineer!? Chief engineer!?" cried Phineas when he was finally given his designation; the rank he had earned through his hard work. After all he had done to be the best, he was to be the supervisor of those meant to tend to a ship's engines and other internal workings!?
"Is there a problem?" A female zebra asked. She wore a shimmering green and black robe and was sitting at a curved table in the middle of a group of six others. One was a donkey, one was a buffalo and another was a gryphon, they also wore dazzling robes.
"Yes there is a problem!" Phineas replied passionately. He looked around the council sanctum, at the gold and silver plaques on the walls, ribbons and paintings depicting achievements of the last few years. Incredible feats of engineering and integrity. "How can a pony like me stand in a room like this and possibly be nothing but an engineer! I am the very definition of what it takes to be an Elite Star Commander, first class!"
"You are an impressive specimen indeed," the buffalo said with a deep baritone of a voice, "but hardly the definition of such a prestigious position. Your behavior right now is proof of that."
"Councilman Urax is correct. While your performance during the course of your training and study has been remarkable, you lack the discipline - among other traits - that truly define a Starfleet captain," the gryphon chimed in, forcefully pressing a talon against the surface of the desk to punctuate his words.
"Discipline? As something I lack!?" Phineas retorted, his blue eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "I have displayed ample amounts of self discipline and control-"
"We are not speaking of your records, child," the zebra mare interjected with a soothing voice which silenced the silver stallion's protest. "Your outburst alone speaks for itself. Star Commander is not just a position of reverence and fame. Those given the title have shown exceptional leadership skills and compassion for their peers."
"As opposed to yourself. Behavior reports from your superiors were rife with your attempts to exceed your comrades rather than assist them," said the gryphon, sitting up in their throne of a chair in a way that amplified their predatory gaze. Phineas tried his best not to scowl at the council member despite the perceived challenge.
As if to defuse the rising tension, Urax started to talk about what Phineas' commendable efforts accomplished for him. "The results of your training have made you capable of tackling labor that a pony of less impressive stature would find difficult to handle. Your dedicated study of starship functionality and methodology has also made you more qualified to handle the technical aspects of a space faring vessel. While you may not be Star Commander, you have the potential to be one of the most valued engineers in the Federation's history. An asset to any craft you may be assigned to."
"Yes, but I'm still not captain. I don't have my own ship!" Phineas thought, abysmally disappointed; but he bowed his head respectably to the council -even though he wanted to show that gryphon a thing what for!
"In spite of your reaction, which would have certainly landed another a few more months of academy time, your skills are needed and needed immediately. This is why your first assignment will be with the Iopteryx. You leave in three days, Phineas Startrot. May you continue to grow after leaving the doors of this chamber," said the zebra.
Phineas nodded and raised his right hoof to his head in salute. Then he left through the double doors of the council sanctum, walking down the long hallway that stretched out before him. Its walls were a deep blue, the floors were golden. Upon the walls were inspirational images of ponies, donkeys, gryphons and buffalo in uniform; looking larger than life itself with their puffed out chests and bright smiles. Phineas was anything but, feeling stung and somewhat numb. His ego, his pride...they had been thrown in his face. Dashed in a harsh manner that he admitted he had coming. He made the mistake of thinking hard work would make him privileged. The fact of the matter was, even though his records spoke for themselves, he was still just one pony out of a greatly larger sum. A sum that shared his passion and drive to be great.
"Three days, huh?" he mumbled to himself as he walked down the passageway. "Three days to get myself prepared. I'll be the best damned Chief Engineer the Iopteryx has ever had!"
He sighed. Old habits died hard. His habit: striving to be the "best" compulsively. He wondered where it came from. It certainly did not come from his parents or close family. He hadn't even heard from any of them since he joined the Federation and went away for the greater part of a year. And that was just fine with him. Pretty soon, he'd leave them all behind for something better.